


I'd Like it if You Stayed

by nerdyholler (katznhund)



Series: Strike Team: Love [1]
Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: F/M, Mass Effect Multiplayer, Pre-Relationship, Prompt Fill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-17
Updated: 2017-05-17
Packaged: 2018-11-01 20:44:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10929708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katznhund/pseuds/nerdyholler
Summary: Prompt fill for my multiplayer OCs, Taavet the angara insurgent and Nora the human sentinel. After a mission on Eos, Taavet discovers the truth about the origins of the kett. When he doesn't show up for dinner, Nora goes to find him.***Taavet turned away again and several moments passed before he asked, “Do you know about the kett?”It was a strange question, everyone in Heleus knew about the kett. “I know what the kett are,” she said uncertainly, “but I’ve never encountered them up close.”“The kett have always been a part of my life,” his voice was slow and distant. “Since I joined the Resistance, I’ve killed many of them."





	I'd Like it if You Stayed

The members of the APEX team were back in Prodromos after their latest mission and most were spending the evening with the outpost residents. The squad’s soldier and turian havoc were getting ready to settle into a few games of cards but Nora was well aware of her skills, or lack thereof, and said her good-byes before heading back to their temporary barracks. When she opened the door she expected to find their fourth member, the angara Taavet, inside. He said he might join them but she hadn’t been surprised when he didn’t show up.

“Taavet?” She knocked on the door of the room he shared with the soldier, “Taavet?” Nothing.

As a last resort she went out on the back deck and called up to the roof, “Taavet, you up there?”

“Yes,” was the brief answer from above.

Nora climbed the ladder, just enough to peek her head over the edge. “Hey, whatcha you doing?”

The angara tilted his head in her direction, “Sitting.”

“Do you,” she hesitated, “mind if you join you?”

“No.”

It was almost impossible to read his expression from where she was but she knew enough at this point to know he wouldn’t have a problem letting her know if she wasn’t welcome. Nora climbed the rest of the ladder and sat down next to him, “Nice night. The stars look amazing up here.”

From the roof of the prefab there seemed to be endless sky and desert. It was almost impossible see this many stars at her home on Earth. Growing up, Nora never learned much about them, even though she hoped she might be able to leave and work on one of the colonies or maybe visit the Citadel. She definitely never expected to find herself in an entirely different galaxy.

Sitting beside her, his knees bent and arms folded across them, Taavet stared out into the darkness. Nora waited for him to say something but the minutes ticked by in silence. Picking at a thread on the hem of her pants, she finally asked, “Penny for your thoughts?”

Her voice grabbed his attention and he looked over in confusion, “Penny?”

“It’s an old human currency,” she started, then waved her hand, “Nevermind, it means “what are you thinking about?’”

“Ah,” Taavet turned away again and several moments passed before he asked, “Do you know about the kett?”

It was a strange question, everyone in Heleus knew about the kett. “I know what the kett are,” she said uncertainly, “but I’ve never encountered them up close.”

“The kett have always been a part of my life,” his voice was slow and distant. “Since I joined the Resistance, I’ve killed many of them.” Nora could tell by his tone, this time at least, he wasn’t bragging or criticizing her lack of experience, it was just a statement of fact. “When your pathfinder saved the Moshae,” he continued, “she was being held at a kett facility on my homeworld, Voeld. Do you know what they discovered there?”

“No,” Nora shook her head, “I haven’t heard anything except what they said on HSN”

“The kett…” Taavet looked down and closed his eyes, “We knew the kett came from outside Heleus. We assumed, when they needed troops, more were sent from their home system. We were wrong. The kett make more,” his voice dropped to a whisper, “from us.”

Nora put her hand over her mouth in surprise, “What?”

“The angara they capture, some become slaves, but others they change. The kett call it exaltation.” The angara’s voice began to waver, “Evfra and the Moshae say the change is irreversible and complete, nothing of who they were before is left, but….” Taavet looked at her, his eyes wide, “They’ve taken countless people on Voeld, we all know someone who’s lost a friend or family member to the kett. The next time I have to fight one, how I will know if it was one of my people? How will I be able to shoot it if it might have been one of us?”

“I…” she was taken aback by the intensity with which he looked at her, his face pleading for an answer she didn’t have. “I don’t know.”

His demeanor fell back into blank sadness,”Nor do I.” Taavet turned back to the empty expanse of Eos. “I’ve killed so many kett,” he said softly.

Time passed slowly as they sat in silence, Taavet lost in his own thoughts and Nora unsure of what to say. Eventually she moved to get up, “I should go, you probably don’t want…”

“Wait,” before she could finish, Taavet reached out and put his hand on her arm, “I’d like it if you stayed.”

“Ok,” she sat down again, “sure.”

Knowing what the kett could do, what they were, must have been a terrible burden. On Eos, they were going after raiders. Nora had been woken up after the uprising to fill the position of one of the exiles. She didn’t know anyone they were fighting. In fact, she had to make a conscious effort to not think about who they were or what led them to turn against the Initiative. If she’d been there during the uprising it might be different, harder.

Nora watched Taavet from the corner of her eye, the only movement was the rise and fall of his shoulders as he breathed. She wanted to reach out and touch him, give him a hug. She’d heard the angara were open and affectionate with one another, but Taavet wasn’t that way with them. He was starting to open up, but she didn’t want to push him or overstep an unknown boundary, so she stayed there beside him and watched each rhythmic breath, in and out, in and out, and wished there was more she could do.

It was hard to tell how long they stayed like that, an hour, maybe more, before Taavet finally stood. “I suspect it’s late,” he turned and offered his hand to help her up, “and it’s been a long day. We should get some rest.”

Nora didn’t want to admit that she’d been starting to nod off but once she was on her feet she couldn’t help but yawn. “Sorry,” she blinked a few times, trying to wake up enough to get down without hurting herself.

“I should be the one apologizing for making you stay here.”

His smile was surprisingly kind, “No, you’re fine. I don’t mind keeping you company.” She looked up at the cliffs and ridges surrounding them, “Besides, it’s a pretty great view.”

He followed her gaze, then looked down at her, “That it is.”

* * *

Interested in more? [Send me a prompt](http://nerdyholler.tumblr.com/tagged/writing%20prompts)


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